It all comes down to this - Jones vs. Teixeira in the main event of UFC 172.

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Jon Jones proved once again that not only is the best light heavyweight fighter on the planet, but he’s only getting better.

Facing a tough as nails striker in Glover Teixeira on Saturday night in Baltimore, Jones beat the Brazilian at his own game with a stifling combination of inside elbows and punches that tore his challenger’s face up round after round.

By the end of the fifth and final round, Jones pitched the equivelant of a shutout, beating Teixeira in every facet of the game.

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In the co-main event of the evening, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson pulled off the upset of the night as he defeated Phil Davis with superior standup and takedown defense. Johnson also won every, single round of his fight and announced to the entire light heavyweight division that there’s a new contender in town.

Jones opens with some kicks to the body, Teixeira coming over the top with punches. Jones feints low and comes high with a kick but he only clips Teixiera on the head. Teixeira fires back with some heavy leather. Teixeira goes for a kick and Jones takes him down hard, but the Brazilian gets back up super quick. Jones with a spin kick to the body, Teixeira comes back with punches but doesn’t land anything.

R1 10-9 for Jon Jones

Round 2:

Jones some nice inside and outside leg kicks along with a straight left that pops Teixeira in the mouth. Jones measuring Teixeira for elbows but he’s putting his hand in the eyes again and the referee pauses the fight. Jones is pawing at Teixeira with his open hand and it’s gone in his eyes a couple of times now. Referee warns one more infraction and he’ll take a point. Teixeira finally traps Jones against the cage and starts to unload punches but the champ circles out. Jones lands with another short elbow and then a shoulder shrug right in Teixeira’s chin.

R2 10-9 for Jon Jones

Round 3:

Teixeira fires off a nice body shot to open the third. Jones catches Teixeira with his head down and unloads a quick knee strike. Jones with a good uppercut that dislodges the mouthpiece from Teixeira and he moves in for the clinch. Teixeira unloads an uppercut and he rattles Jones, but the champ comes back with another elbow. Teixeira is busted open now after another series of elbows from Jones. It’s a cut over the right eye. Jones with a body kick and a left hand to Teixeira’s jaw. Jones is inside and he’s busting up Teixeira.

R3 10-9 for Jon Jones

Round 4:

Jones with a straight right before pushing in for the clinch, he goes for a big spinning back first but Teixeira gets out of the way. Jones with the short leg kick and another elbow that opens back up the cut on Teixeira’s eye. Jones with another spinning elbow, and then a short elbow inside. Jones in complete control, just beating him with elbows over and over again. Teixeira is so tough but he’s getting decimated here. Jones with a takedown as the final horn sounds

R4 10-9 Jon Jones

Round 5:

Jones gets a takedown to get things started in the final round but Teixeira bounces up. Teixeira ready for a slugfest but his punches are just glancing off Jones, where as the champion is just landing at will. Give him credit, Teixeira is still throwing and doing his best to land the one haymaker to end the fight but he’s just not putting anything behind the strikes at this point. Jones just toying with Teixeira as the final seconds tick away.

Analysis: Jon Jones was supposed to win this fight, but once again the champion showed why he is the best in the world because not only did he come away victorious, he did it by beating Teixeira in his kind of fight. Dana White can tout Renan Barao all he wants, but the fact is Jon Jones is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and on his way to being one of the greatest of all time. The only ‘blemish’ on his record (I don’t count the Matt Hamill fight) is the close decision with Alexander Gustafsson — now Jones will get to face him a second time to prove if the first bout was a fluke or if this could be the rival worthy of taking away his title.

Phil Davis vs. Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson out to "Blunt Blowin" by Lil Wayne. Phil Davis to "The Boss" by Rick Ross

Round 1:

Johnson shrugs off an early takedown attempt from Davis as the two fighters posture for position. Davis counters with a good straight right hand. Johnson opening up with right hand and he punishes Davis’ left eye. Davis bleading from over his left eye now. Johnson nails a leg kick and another combination just busting up Davis.

R1 10-9 for Anthony Johnson

Round 2:

Johnson is getting more comfortable on his feet and that’s bad for Davis. Johnson uncorks a big head kick but doesn’t catch Davis clean but great technique. Davis goes for another takedown and comes away with nothing. Johnson blasts Davis with another uppercut. Johnson with two lefts and a big right, his confidence is growing. Johnson catches a kick from Davis and counters with a right uppercut. Johnson is dominating this fight so far

R2 10-9 for Anthony Johnson

Round 3:

Johnson with a stiff jab, doubled up popping Davis in the mush. Davis goes for another takedown, Johnson shrugs it off and clubs him with a short punch on the way out. Davis finally gets a hold of Johnson, but still can’t get him down and he eats a big knee in the gut as they separate. Johnson is just teeing off on Davis at will and still stopping every takedown attempt. There’s no better way to say it — Johnson is big-brothering Davis at every turn this fight.

Analysis: Wow. No better word to describe Anthony Johnson’s performance than wow. Johnson beat Davis in every facet of this fight. On the feet, it was a mismatch and then Johnson managed to stuff every single one of Phil Davis’ takedowns. Incredible return to the Octagon by Anthony Johnson and now the light heavyweight division has an exciting new contender. There’s not a 205-pounder on the roster right now that shouldn’t be worried about Johnson now. As for Phil Davis, people will jump all over him for calling out Jon Jones constantly while barely mentioning his actual opponent, but he’s not the first guy to do it and he won’t be the last. Tonight, Davis just got beat by a better opponent.

Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Boetsch

Tim Boetsch out to "American Bad Ass" by Kid Rock.

Round 1:

Boetsch goes for a takedown and Rockhold locks up a reverse triangle choke from the top. Rockhold then moves in for a kimura and Boetsch has no choice but to tap out. Quick and nasty performance from Luke Rockhold.

Analysis: Luke Rockhold was a big favorite coming in, but Tim Boetsch is an impossibly tough guy and he finished him in just over two minutes. Rockhold got KO’d in his UFC debut by Vitor Belfort, but I truly believe that was an anomaly in what could be a run at the middleweight title. Given the recent changes with the TRT policy, Rockhold vs. Belfort 2 wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world especially since the Brazilian had to drop out of his title fight against Chris Weidman. Long run, Rockhold might be the biggest threat to the middleweight title no matter who is holding the belt.

Jim Miller vs. Yancy Medeiros

Jim Miller out to "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)" by The Hollies

Round 1:

Miller stalking his prey and he cracks off a good body kick to Medeiros. The Hawaiian counters with some punches to the chest of Miller. Miller clips Medeiros and he’s stunned and they are clinched against the cage. Miller jumps on a guillotine choke like a pitbull. Medeiros tries mightily to fight out of it, but he goes limp and the referee stops the fight. Excellent finish by Miller

Analysis: Jim Miller once again proves he can feast on just about anyone outside the top 10. Kudos to Medeiros for stepping up and taking this challenge on short notice, but this would be a tough fight to accept with six or eight weeks to prepare. Miller seems like he’s always one performance away from being a top five lightweight. Following the fight he named off five different fighters in the top 10 above him that he’d like to fight — my vote is Jim Miller vs. Josh Thomson in San Jose for the upcoming FOX UFC Saturday card. Miller is always willing to take a tough fight even in the other guy’s backyard. Seems like a fight with great potential.

Max Holloway vs. Andre Fili

Andre Fili out to "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons. Unfortunately no dice on Max Holloway’s music.

Round 1:

Holloway opens up with a nice spinning back kick to the body of Fili. Fili counters with a good left hook that rattles Holloway. Both men are exchanging some really good punches back and forth. Fili grabs a quick takedown but Holloway bounces back up in a hurry. Fili and Holloway are both exchanging some good kicks and boxing combinations as the round comes to an end. Close round but slight edge to Fili

R1 10-9 for Andre Fili

Round 2:

Holloway cracks Fili with another spinning back kick and it lands right in the gut. Fili doesn’t react well to that one. Holloway doing much better with his standup this round, but Fili eventually drags it to the ground. With nothing happening on the mat, referee Kevin Mulhall stands them back up again. Hollaway with another spin kick that appears to land although Fili pushes forward right away looking for the clinch.

R2 10-9 for Max Holloway

Round 3:

Fili keeps after it and gets a takedown in the third round. He’s put Holloway down a few times this fight, but hasn’t been able to do much with it. And once again, Holloway works up again. Holloway opens up with a barrage and connects with some nasty shots before Fili shoots in. Holloway has a guillotine locked up and Fili has no choice but to tap. Great performance and finish from Max Holloway

Analysis: Nothing better than a late finish, it shows a real killer instinct in a fighter and Max Holloway definitely has that. Holloway got tagged a bit early but he came back strong in the second and third rounds, eventually picking Fili apart on the feet and then getting the submission. Holloway remains a very tough prospect at 145 pounds. His last couple of performances have shown real growth since his fight with Conor McGregor.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Tim Elliott

Round 1:

Crazy start to the fight with Elliott just going after Benavidez like a freight train. Takedowns, crucifix position, ground and pound and we’re just two minutes in. Elliott lands three takedowns in the first few minutes, but the last ends with him in a scramble as Benavidez looks for the guillotine. Benavidez just tireless with this attack and he methodically attacks, and locks on the choke while mounting Elliott. The choke is set and Elliott has to kick his legs relentlessly to tap out because his arms were both trapped. Incredible finish for Benavidez.

Analysis: Insane first round between these two flyweights and it looked as if Elliott was trying to bum rush and overwhelm Benavidez with his size and power, but it backfired. Benavidez beats power with technique, and he has one of the best guillotine chokes in the UFC or as he calls it ‘the Joe-a-constrictor’. Benavidez is clearly at the top of the division along with John Dodson as the best contenders at 125 pounds — the only problem is Benavidez has two losses to champion Demetrious Johnson. Benavidez should take the same approach as Benson Henderson at lightweight — take every top 10 fighter that wants a title shot, beat them and eventually the UFC will be forced to give him another crack at the belt.

Takanori Gomi vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg

Round 1:

Gomi throwing with heat on every punch but Vallie-Flagg staying composed and using a solid boxing game to counter. Vallie-Flagg lands two straight punches that tag Gomi hard. Vallie-Flagg slips in an exchange and Gomi uses the opening to land on top inside the open guard. Gomi slips in and takes Vallie-Flagg’s back and he’s looking for a choke. Vallie-Flagg works free and back on the feet he hits Gomi with a nice front kick, but the former PRIDE champion counters with a quick couple of right hands that land flush. Very close round.

R1 10-9 for Isaac Vallie-Flagg

Round 2:

Gomi starting to hit some power shots including some damage done under Vallie-Flagg’s right eye and it’s swelling up quickly. Vallie-Flagg counters with some more front kicks and straight punches. As the round comes to a close, Gomi realizes that Vallie-Flagg’s eye is in danger and he’s targeting it with punches. That swelling won’t stop until the fight is over.

R2 10-9 for Takanori Gomi

Round 3:

Gomi peppering Vallie-Flagg with punches to start the final round, but a slip puts him on the mat and he eats a series of punches while he’s turtled up and defending. Gomi gets up again and they are stuck in the clinch against the cage. They separate and Gomi is just lighting Vallie-Flagg up with punches and blood is flowing everywhere from the American’s head. Close round up till now but Gomi just obliterated Vallie-Flagg’s face in the final two minutes. Vallie-Flagg with a desperation takedown before the final horn sounds, but Gomi reverses as the fight ends.

Analysis: It was only a few years ago when Takanori Gomi was considered the best lightweight in all of MMA. Well, those days are past but he is certainly still capable of an exciting fight. He put a hurting on Vallie-Flagg’s face in the second and third rounds. Seeing as Gomi is a striker, who loves a good knockout, why not match him up with Edson Barboza next? Seems like a fight of the night just waiting to happen.

Jessamyn Duke vs. Bethe Correia

Round 1:

Correia doing well in the early going with a series of leg kicks and nice combinations getting inside of Duke’s long reach. Duke is firing back but still struggling to land anything with real power outside of a couple of jabs that she slips through the Brazilian’s defense. Correia does a good job of putting her combos together and making sure at least one punch or kick lands solid every time.

R1 10-9 Bethe Correia

Round 2:

Correia connecting with more kicks in the second round, which forces Duke to look for the takedown but she gets stuffed. Duke gets a nice switch to land a takedown but Correia slips out and lands on top, in side control. Duke gets back up and hits a perfect judo throw making her teammate Ronda Rousey proud. The only problem is Correia gets right back up again. Correia peppering Duke with the better strikes throughout the round.

R2 10-9 Bethe Correia

Round 3:

Correia looks for a spinning back first and follows it up with a nice right hand. Duke is just getting beat to the punch every time. Duke tries to grab a Thai clinch and Correia counters with three or four punches in a row, all of them pounding the jaw over and over again. Correia outlanding Duke 100 to 55 in significant strikes right now. Duke gets a takedown, but with some very sloppy form, she’s reversed and Correia is on top immediately. Back on the feet, Correia just faster to the punch as the fight comes to an end. Our first decision of the night.

Analysis: Correia gets her second win in the UFC, neither of which has exactly set the world on fire, but she’s 2-0 nonetheless. Correia has solid standup and good defense on the ground. She has to develop a little more aggressiveness and finishing power if she hopes to crack the top 10. As for Jessamyn Duke, we once again learned tonight that training with the world’s best fighter doesn’t necessarily make you the best. Duke did not look good, and it seems to me she could use a few fights outside the UFC to get her experience level up and then return in the future.

Danny Castillo vs. Charlie Brenneman

Round 1: Before we talk about this fight, let’s go ahead and mention Joe Rogan is wearing a white shirt for this show and it’s freaking me out. That said, Charlie Brenneman wastes no time taking Castillo down to open the fight and he’s in side control right away. Brenneman looks for an arm but Castillo scrambles and gets back up and actually takes Brenneman’s back. Brenneman with a nice reversal to escape and get back to the feet. Brenneman shoots in and gets another takedown to put Castillo down. Castillo reverses out as the round comes to an end.

R1 10-9 Charlie Brenneman

Round 2:

Danny Castillo unleashes a right hook that absolutely crushes Brenneman’s jaw and sends him crashing to the mat. Brenneman is out cold and the fight is over! An emotional Castillo celebrates the knockout. Two fights in and two incredible finishes.

Analysis: Danny Castillo had a rough first round, but he bounced back with one of the nastiest right hands I’ve ever seen in a fight. He absolutely demolished Brenneman’s jaw with that punch and also kudos to referee Dan Miragliotta for being in the right position to stop the fight before any more damage could be landed. He knew Brenneman was out. Castillo has been up and down with a few wins and losses in the UFC, but make no mistake, he’s got the makings to one day be a top 10 fighter. He was seconds away from beating Edson Barboza and was dominating Michael Johnson until he got caught and finished in that fight. Castillo has the skills to be a threat at lightweight, he just needs to find the right kind of consistency to get there.

Chris Beal vs. Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams out to "We Will Rock You" By Queen. Chris Beal to "Trophies" by Young Money and Drake

Round 1:

Patrick Williams comes storming out of the gates and nails Beal right in the groin with a knee strike. Inauspicious start to the evening. On the restart, Williams tags Beal and gets a quick takedown but he can’t keep him on the mat. Williams is just crazy launching strikes from the outside and he stays in control until the last 30 seconds when Beal catches him with a couple of good combos before the round ends.

R1 10-9 Patrick Williams

Round 2:

Williams says between rounds that the mat is slippery so maybe that’s affecting his ability to go for shots with his wrestling. Beal catches him with a good flurry of punches as Williams backs up and starts to slow down. Out of nowhere, Beal uncorks a flying knee and boom Williams is down and out! What a finish!

Analysis: Fantastic ending for Chris Beal. He was a solid prospect during his time on The Ultimate Fighter and now he gets his chance in the Octagon and he made it worth while. The two fighters were pretty sloppy in the first round, but Beal just launched an absolutely sick flying knee to finish the fight. Has to be one of the best flying knees we’ve ever seen in the UFC. Something tells me Beal may have a nice bonus waiting for him when the night is over.